The Fire Down Below
by Stormy - JML Ranch
Summary: In Cybertron's long history, there has been only one femme Prime... Solus Prime, a member of the Original 13 Primes. For millions of eons, no femme has proven herself worthy of the title... Until Gunstorm. This is her story, starting from when she first landed on Earth after her transformation. Expanded summary inside!
1. Summary

In Cybertron's long history, there has been only one femme Prime... Solus Prime, a member of the Original 13 Primes. For millions of eons, no femme has proven herself worthy of the title... Until Gunstorm. This is her story, starting from when she first landed on Earth after her transformation. Her past is revealed through a series of flashbacks, and some of those flashbacks are... disturbing. As she adapts to living on Earth again (as a 28-foot-tall transforming robot this time), she discovers she has strong feelings for a certain red-and-blue mech. They both struggle with their own emotions, thinking it's better to not become attached to each other. What they don't realize is that they need each other..._badly_.


	2. Chapter 1

**JML Ranch:** Howdy folks! Here's the new story I promised I would upload!  
**Gunstorm Prime:** Finally! I was wondering when you would get around to uploading this story!  
**JML Ranch:** Oh grow up, you oversized sparkling! Just kidding.  
**Gunstorm:** Not cool. -_-  
**JML Ranch:** ANYWAYS... In this story, I am introducing a whole new cast of TFP OCs! Gunny here is only one of them. If y'all want to find out how many I have in here, y'all have to read on! :D

* * *

[Cybertronian speech]  
"Normal speech"  
**~Bond~**

* * *

It was quiet on the ship as she piloted it through space. The femme was relishing the silence as much as she could because she knew it was going to end sooner or later. Setting the controls to autopilot, she decided to take a brief recharge. She had just drifted into a deep recharge when a loud gunshot rang out through the air, followed by the sounds of metal hitting metal and swearing.

[Well, guess naptime's over now,] she sighed, disappointed that she wasn't going to get as much recharge as she would have liked. Standing up from her seat and stretching, she left the bridge. She knew from prior experience that she should check out the training room first. Arriving outside the door, she paused a moment, listening to see if the sounds were away from the door. When she didn't hear the sounds near the door, she entered the room.

Two femmes were in the middle of the room exchanging blows with each other. One was sandy tan in color, and had a cannon on each servo. The other femme was mostly white with green and red (Same as Wheeljack's, but with green and red switched.) and had katanas in both hands.

[Okay folks, that's enough!] The first femme berated, tired of having to deal with the fighting.

[But Windjack started it!] The sandy femme hissed.

[I did not. You got upset that I beat you fair and square in the sparring match you challenged me to,] Windjack, the third femme, replied.

[I thought that was what happened. Lookout, you know better than to start a fight over something so trivial,] the first femme said.

[But Gunny…] Lookout began but was cut short.

[Don't 'but Gunny' me. You will be watching the monitors during your usual shift _and_ the following shift until I think you've learned your lesson. Understood?]

[Yes, ma'am. I shouldn't have gotten so upset over being beat fair and square. Sorry about that, Windjack.]

[Apology accepted. You have a wicked right cross, that's for sure,] Windjack grinned at Lookout.

[I'll be going now. See you later, Prime,] Lookout left the training room, heading to her quarters.

[I guess I'll go pay a visit to Oceania. See you in a while, Gunstorm.]

[See you later, Windjack. I'll be on the bridge if you need me,] Gunstorm "Gunny" Prime replied, walking back the way she had come.

She sat back down in the same seat she had been sitting in earlier, letting out a weary vent. _Some things never change,_ she thought to herself, smiling and shaking her helm slightly. After checking the course they were on, she started to think back to when she had met some of her teammates.

**Flashbacks begin**

_Gunstorm (who wasn't a Prime at the time) was headed to one of the offices in the medical clinic, having been called in for a check up. She arrived at the door and knocked._

_[Door's open,] came a gruff voice from the other side. Opening the door, Gunstorm entered the room. A white-and-red mech and two femmes- one light blue and black with some grey; the other mostly silver with some black- were in the room._

_[Hello Ratchet, how are you?] Gunstorm asked the mech._

_[Tired and cranky, but otherwise I'm fine. And yourself?] Ratchet replied with a kind tone he rarely used._

_[A bit tired. Where did the silver femme go?] Gunstorm noticed that the young femme had disappeared. Feeling a soft touch on her foreservo, she looked down next to her. No one was there._

_[Camo! Don't do that to others, you know better!] The older femme seemed to glare at something. The air shimmered slightly, and then the silver-and-black femme appeared next to Gunstorm. She looked up at Gunstorm sheepishly._

_[Sorry about that. The last few times she did that, their processors glitched,] the older femme apologized. [I'm Oceania, and the vanishing one is my adopted daughter Camouflage.]_

_[It's alright. I find it a bit amusing that she did that. My name- pardon me, designation- is Gunstorm,] Gunstorm replied._

_[Interesting designation. May I ask how you ended up with it?]_

_[I have a… tendency to shoot up a storm every time I get nervous,] Gunstorm rubbed the back of her helm sheepishly._

_[I'm assuming you get nervous easily?]_

_[Fairly. Which means it happens more often than I like.]_

_[Understandable. Why don't you sit down on the examination berth behind you, and I'll get started with your check up.]_

_Gunstorm sat down, swinging her stabilizing servos up onto the berth. She looked around the room, curious about what was in the room. Oceania was quietly gathering the necessary supplies, humming to herself softly._

_[Gunstorm?] Camouflage came up to Gunstorm._

_[What is it, little one?] She smiled gently._

_[Can I ask you something?]_

_[Certainly.]_

_[What do you do?]_

_[I just started working here at this clinic, actually.]_

_[Cool! Ratchet said something earlier about somebody new coming to help him out here at the clinic.]_

_[Oh? Did he say who it was?]_

_[I don't think so. Why do you ask?]_

_[I already know who it is.]_

_[Really? Can you tell me?]_

_[Really. And yes, I can tell you. Here's a hint: she's in this very room right at this cycle.]_

_Camouflage looked around the room, thinking. She knew it couldn't be her, Oceania, or Ratchet. Smiling, she looked up at Gunstorm._

_[Is it you?]_

_[You're right,] Gunstorm smiled back._

**First flashback ends, new one begins**

_It was cold, dark and damp in the prison cell where Gunstorm currently was. She had been held captive by the Decepticons for nearly half a vorn, and her hopes for recuse was starting to dwindle slowly. Autobots were dragged and shoved past her cell, headed to a chamber that no one ever came back from. Joor after joor, she sat on the cold floor, staring at the wall in front of her so she wouldn't have to watch the "death march"._

_One cycle, Gunstorm was staring at the wall when she heard shouting and gunfire. Decepticons were running past her cell door, seeming frightened by something. Curious, she crept up to the door and peered out through the bars. A group of femmes were making their way down the hall, smashing down the cell doors and freeing the occupants inside. Once the occupants were out of the cell, they ran in the direction the femmes had come from. She recognized the Autobot Wreckers symbol on one of the femmes._

_[Hey, I need you to back up for a klik, alright?] A white femme with green and red stripes came up to the door. Gunstorm nodded, walking backwards until she hit the far wall. The femme put a small explosive in the lock of the door, and blew it out._

_[Thanks. What's your designation?] Gunstorm walked out of the room._

_[Windjack. You?]_

_[Gunstorm. Mind if I tag along with y'all? I know the layout of the place pretty well.]_

_[Got a weapon on ya?]_

_[Will this work?] Gunstorm transformed her left servo into an Energon Ion Fusion cannon._

_[Pit yeah! Let's go kick some 'Con aft!] Windjack grinned at Gunstorm as they ran to catch up with the group._

**Second flashback ends, new one begins**

_It was quiet at home, and Gunstorm was bored out of her processors. She had completed everything she needed to for the orn. It was a few orbital cycles after she had been made a Prime, and things had gotten pretty busy for her._

_Looking at her left servo, she realized that she had not transformed it to see what kind of cannon was there since her upgrade. She couldn't remember the last time she had gone to the shooting range; it had been quite a while._

_She decided to go to the range and see what she had for her new 'toy'. Stepping outside, she paused, turning to look at her house before she transformed into her semi truck alt. mode._

_The house was simple, nothing really extravagant or ornate. Most of the high-ranking officers were living in what was the old upper-caste division, which meant the homes there were more than likely to be luxurious. When they had tried to get Gunstorm to live there, she politely declined stating that she would be rather content living in "a more traditional house than in the preposterous buildings that the previous residents called home." She felt that it was wrong to be handed expensive things instead of working for it, and that it shouldn't matter where she was supposed to live just simply because of her rank._

_She drove to the range, feeling like she was a little kid at Christmastime. Upon arriving, she transformed back into her bipedal mode and walked to the counter._

_[Good afternoon, miss. How may I help you today?] The range manager greeted her._

_[Good afternoon to you as well sir. Are there any firing lanes currently unoccupied?]_

_[Yes. Your lane is number 6. How many guns or cannons are you firing today?]_

_[I have no idea. I recently got an upgrade, and I do not know how many I have now.]_

_[That's something I hardly see anymore. Used to see newly upgraded younglings out here all the time until this cursed war kicked up.]_

_[Maybe you'll get to see that again soon,] she smiled sadly at the mech._

_[Perhaps,] he mused. [Good luck with your upgrade.]_

_[Thank you.]_

_Gunstorm made her way down to the range itself. As she passed by the lanes, various mechs of different sizes and colors were firing away. She spotted the lane she was assigned, and stood in the booth. Her bright navy blue visor dimmed slightly as she searched for the right mental connection that would bring her cannon online. Finding it, she triggered the transformation sequence._

_Her left foreservo started to change, growing bigger in diameter and lengthening as the cannon began to take shape. Finally, after what felt like joors, the transformation was complete. She stared at the silver cannon, taken aback by the colossal size._

"_That is the Star Cannon, young Prime,__" a voice whispered in her helm. She knew it was the Matrix of Wisdom speaking to her, and listened closely to what the Matrix had to say. "__This cannon has only been spoken of in legends until now. The legend says that Solus Prime, the first femme prime and a member of the Original 13, created the Star Saber and the Star Cannon. Only two Star Sabers were ever created, and it was said that the Star Cannon was never completed. In reality, Solus decided that the Star Cannon would only be in the possession of a femme Prime. You are the second femme to hold the title of Prime, and as such, you have inherited the Star Cannon directly from Solus Prime herself. It is the most powerful cannon of all time, powerful enough to kill Unicron the Chaos Bringer.__"_

"_I'll warn you though-the cannon has a rather robust recoil. Your entire left servo is specifically designed to absorb the recoil. You have an extra heavy-duty hydraulic shock absorber in the upper servo, and instead of the flexible metal in the shoulder joint, you have specialized lining that is specifically designed to withstand the impact from the cannon."_

_When the Matrix finished speaking, Gunstorm looked downrange at the target. She raised her cannon, aiming it at the target. Hearing some metal click, she shifted her focus to her upper servo. The metal bands that made up the armor had changed so they would slide past each other. Looking back at the target, she re-aimed her cannon. It began to glow a soft navy blue in various places, whirring softly. The whirring slowly got louder and louder as the shot charged up. It wasn't shrill and high-pitched, but very deep and low in pitch (think of what a diesel engine sounds like with jake brake on). Fully charged now, the cannon was glowing a bright navy blue._

_A gunshot rang out through the air; loud enough it would have awakened the dead. The target was completely gone, vaporizing upon impact. Gunstorm stared at the target, then her cannon, and back at the target. She could barely believe what she had just witnessed. While staring at where the old target had been, a new one took its place. _

_Grinning like a madman, she took her stance again, brought her cannon back up and fired. Just like the previous target, the new target was vaporized upon impact. Gunstorm continued to fire gleefully, taking a newfound delight in watching the targets vanish. After a few cycles, she stopped to take a break, certainly not accustomed to the brutal force from her cannon and having noticed two observers behind her._

_[Nice cannon ya got there,] a familiar black mech said to her as she turned around._

_[Thanks. Been a while since I last saw ya, Ironhide,] Gunstorm grinned._

_[Gunny?! What in Primus' name happened to ya? Ya look totally different now!] Ironhide spluttered in shock._

_[Long story short, I'm no longer just 'Gunstorm.' What I am about to tell y'all- can we keep this between us? I don't want to cause a stir.]_

_[Sure. You have my word,] Ironhide nodded. The sand-colored femme nodded as well._

_Gunstorm looked around to make sure no one was listening. Taking a deep vent, she looked back at Ironhide and the femme. [I am a Prime now.] They stared at her in shock for a few kliks._

_[Well… that sure explains how ya got so damned tall,] Ironhide seemed to glower at her, but his optics shone with mirth. She let out a guffaw, shaking her helm in amusement._

_[It certainly does. And who may this be?] Gunstorm looked at the femme softly._

_[My designation is Lookout. Ironhide's my adopted creator,] Lookout replied. Gunstorm looked at Ironhide in surprise, and he merely nodded. Lookout gestured at the cannon. [What kind of cannon is that?]_

_Gunstorm looked at Ironhide, curious to see if he had any idea. [I have no clue at all. I've never seen anything like that before,] he shook his helm._

_[Mmm. Have you ever heard anything about a Star Cannon?] Gunstorm asked, snickering silently to herself._

_[I've heard that Solus Prime supposedly started it, but she never finished it. Many mechs and femmes have tried, and failed, to find it.]_

_[What if I told you she actually finished it? And intended to pass it on to the next femme Prime?]_

_[You're yanking my crankcase, eh?]_

_[I sure ain't, and the cannon on my servo-is the Star Cannon.]_

_[Get out of here! Ya have to be joking…] Ironhide stared at me in disbelief._

_[Nope. Not jokin' 'round either,] she smirked, stepping up to the firing line. [Either one of you want to see what this legendary beast can do?]_

_[Pit yeah!] Lookout grinned at Gunstorm._

_[Now this is gonna be real interesting,] Ironhide stood to one side, away from the firing line._

_Gunstorm nodded once, and looked downrange at the target. Without warning, she brought her left servo up-cannon almost fully charged already- lined up the shot, and fired. The recoil pushed the cannon back, upper servo shortening to lessen the strain on her shoulder. A puff of smoke hung in the air briefly before disappearing, leaving a bare spot where the target used to be._

_[Whoa-ho-ho-ho! If it can do that to a mere target, imagine what that thing would do to one of those blasted 'Cons,] Ironhide beamed._

_[Don't know, don't want to find out,] Gunstorm replied._

_[Same here,] Lookout spoke quietly. Gunstorm looked at her sadly._

**End of Flashbacks**

[Gunny? Ya alright, sis?]

Gunstorm snapped her helm around to look at the owner of the voice. [Yea, I'm alright. What brings you here?]

[Boredom, that's what brought me here,] a sorrel (burnt orange) Cybertronian horse groaned as he walked across the room to Gunstorm. [What were you staring off into space about?]

[Just some old memories, Bo. That's all it was.]

[Ah. From before all this…?]

[No, I was just remembering how I met the others back on Cybertron before we left.]

[Ohh…] He replied, nodding his helm in understanding.

Gunstorm was about to say something, but her thought was cut short by a distinct clang of a wrench colliding with someone's helm.

[I swear, Oceania is becoming more and more like Ratchet by the klik…] He shook his helm.

[You're right about that, Robustspeed. Poor Oceania... She has to deal with a hothead of a Weapons Specialist and an explosive-obssessed Wrecker.]

[That she does. And a Prime who has a tendency to go into battle haphazardly,] Robustspeed jested back.

[Hey! I do not go into battle randomly! I go into battle only if the situation calls for it!] Gunstorm protested, sending exasperation through the sibiling bond she shared with him.

**~Just messing with ya, sis.~** He sent back through the bond, grinning at Gunstorm.

**~Slagger.~** She replied, letting her amusement seep through. **~You're still my adopted brother no matter what happens.~**

**~Yep. Ya got that right.~** He grinned at her.

Gunstorm noticed that the solar system they were in seemed very familiar to her. Realization hit ther that this was her old home!

[I just realized something. We're close to our old home,] She murmured to Robustspeed. [Hang on, let me check to see if there are any Decepticreeps in the area… And… Yep, they're in the area alright. Scrap! The _Nemesis_ is in the atmosphere above Earth!] She growled, slamming her fist down on the counter out of frustration.

[Let us pray that there are not any Autobots on Earth,] He solemenly said.

[There's a couple. Not sure who they are, but they're Autobots. Let's see if I can reach 'em.]

Gunstorm skillfully hacked into the satellites above Earth, taking care to ensure Soundwave couldn't detect her. Searching through the network, she found what she was looking for: a webcamera the Autobots used to communicate. She sent a request for a videochat.

[I've sent a request to them. Let's see if they accept,] Gunstorm murmured as she checked the settings on her webcamera. The screen was black, and then an alert popped up, saying that whoever was on the other end had accepted the request.

[Ah-ha!] Gunstorm grinned. [Let's see who it is, shall we?]

[Let's see who it is, indeed,] Robustspeed smirked back.

The screen flickered; indicating that the video feed had begun. A familiar white-and-orange servo was in front of the camera, adjusting it. Gunstorm began to snicker slightly, struggling to keep her faceplates straight. She managed to supress it, her faceplates settling into a neutral expression.

The servo finally moved away from the camera, and the mech stared at Gunstorm and Robustspeed for a few moments in surprise and shock.

"_Gunstorm!?_" He bellowed in disbelief.

"Yep, that's me," Gunstorm replied, switching to English easily. "Good to see you again Ratchet."

"It is good to see you again, Gunny. How did you manage to reach us?"

"Let's just say I have my own ways and leave it at that," she smirked.

"Fair enough," he snorted. "Anyone else on the ship with ya or is it just you two?"

"Hmm…" she hummed, counting how many were aboard. "There are four others aboard. Bo here is the only mech, rest are femmes including myself."

"You lucky mech."

"I ain't lucky! Gunny is the only femme that doesn't drive me crazy!" Robustspeed squawked.

"Anyways…" Gunstorm laughed, shaking her helm. "Ratch, do you have any landing coordinates I could use?"

"Yep. I'm sending them to you as we speak. Where are you at?" Ratchet replied, tapping a few keys.

"Just entered the solar system, about to pass Neptune. And don't worry, Sounders can't hack into the transmission- I made sure of that."

"Sounders?"

"My nickname for Soundwave. I've hacked into the Nemesis' systems before," Gunstorm smirked.

"Oh! _You_ hacked into _Nemesis'_ systems before?!"

"Yep! Sounders never figured out who it was. I still am connected to the Decepticon warship, so I have been able to steal Energon right under their noseplates."

"You sly devil!" Ratchet howled gleefully. "How long have you been doing that?"

"I hacked into the warship a breem after we left Cybertron, so I've been walking off with their Energon for…" She paused, crunching numbers in her processors. "About a decavorn now."

Ratchet stared at Gunstorm in shock. "You- you have been pillaging from the 'Cons for ten _vorns_?"

"That's right."

"Have you gotten caught yet?"

"Nope. They keep to a schedule, so it's easy to go in undetected. Once, I managed to clean out a storage vault _on the ship!_ They still have no idea how an _entire_ storage vault's worth of Energon went missing."

"Sly femme," Ratchet shook his helm, laughing. "How long do you think it will be before you get here?"

"Well… we just passed Saturn, and we have been chatting for about quarter of a joor. So we should be there in about a joor, joor and half. What time is it for y'all?"

"It's 8 in the evening."

"Should be close to Earth around 8 tomorrow morning."

"Perfect. Everyone should be here by then. Oh, and I should warn you- the Decepticons may attempt an ambush as you land."

"Thank you for the warning. I will be sure to let the others know," she nodded her helm. "We have been ambushed right after landing before, so this ain't our first rodeo."

"Alright. See you tomorrow morning."

"See ya tomorrow," she terminated the connection, ending the call.

* * *

**Y'all know the drill... Comment, review, fav, do whatever y'all want to! **

**Until next time, this is JML Ranch transforming and rolling out!**


	3. Chapter 2

**JML Ranch:** Say what? Two chapters uploaded in one night? I'm on a roll!  
**Gunstorm:** Well, you just finished this one tonight...  
**JML Ranch:** Shaddup!  
**Oceania:** It would be wise to listen to JML, Gunny. After all, she is your creator and the author of this story. She can decide what happens to you in the story.  
**Gunstorm:** Yea, I suppose...  
**JML Ranch:** Thank you Oceania! Robustspeed, would you do the disclaimer and warnings? I forgot about that last chapter... Oops.  
**Robustspeed:** I don't mind. JML Ranch does not own Transformers, Hasbro does. She only owns the story plot and all her OCs, including me. Warning is for mild violence and possible language.  
**JML Ranch:** Thank you Bo!  
**Dodge:** Here's chapter 2 of The Fire Down Below!

* * *

[Cybertronian speech]  
"Normal speech"  
:...Comlink...:

* * *

The morning sun rose across the landscape, casting a soft orange glow. A metallic object entered the atmosphere, cloaking itself in an invisible shield to hide it from the humans populating the blue-and-green planet. Somewhere in Nevada, a certain Autobot leader was tracking the object.

"Ratchet," he spoke, his deep baritone voice ringing out through the air softly. Ratchet walked into the main room from his med bay, concerned about what was going on.

"Optimus, what did you find?" Ratchet asked the tall mech standing in front of the monitors.

"The scanners have picked up on a signal entering the atmosphere. I cannot identify whether it is Autobot or Decepticon," Optimus Prime replied, slight concern seeping into his voice.

Ratchet looked at his internal chronometer, and started smirking when he saw the time. Optimus raised an optic ridge at his old friend, clearly curious.

"All I will tell you for now is that there are six new Autobots coming in any time now," was the only clue Optimus got from Ratchet.

"Why wasn't I informed of this sooner?"

"You weren't around when I went to recharge. I need to see if I can reach them- oh, never mind," Ratchet hit a button, accepting the call. The screen flickered for a klik before the connection was established. Optimus slipped away, giving him some privacy.

"Well, good morning Ratchet," Gunstorm greeted brightly.

"Morning. I suppose you are close?"

"That I am. Should be landing shortly, just wanted to call and let you know."

"All right. You still have my comlink number? I never changed it."

"Still do."

"Contact me when you're ready for a Groundbridge."

"Sounds good."

**On the ship**

[Alright, the ship's safely on the ground now,] Gunstorm announced, letting the others know it was safe to move around again. Walking around the ship, she made sure all the systems were shut off before she opened the door.

[Everything good?] She asked as she approached the door. Everyone nodded or voiced their confirmation. Right as Gunstorm was about to open the door, she froze. Her wings went very still, having sensed several Spark Signatures. [It's an ambush. You know the drill, team.]

Within a few cycles, everyone was ready and in position. Gunstorm and Robustspeed had combined into Centauri, which basically is a Cybertronian centaur. They were standing in front of the door, leading the defensive charge. Standing on either side of the door safely out of harm's way were Oceania and Camouflage. Lookout and Windjack were behind Gunstorm, ready to block the door should any enemy attempt to enter the ship. Gunstorm nodded at Oceania, signaling she was ready for the door to open. Oceania pressed a button on the wall next to her.

The door opened, revealing a clearing in the middle of a dense forest. Gunstorm slowly walked forward, wings flicking slightly. She knew they were outnumbered roughly 4 to 1, but she had fought in worse situations where they were outnumbered _100 to 1_ (they still won!). The air was heavy with tension and anticipaction.

Her wings suddenly disappeared, and just in time to avoid a shot that would have taken them off completely. Without a second thought, Gunstorm brought her left servo up and fired off a round in the direction where the shot had came from. A loud yip confirmed that she had hit the target. The Decepticons came out of cover, firing at the maroon Centauri. She dodged every shot, moving with blinding speed and firing back, not missing a single shot.

She then realized that they were starting to get too close to allow her to use her Star Cannon, and transformed both foreservos into two sharp Energon blades. With an unnerving snarl, she slashed at the enemy, vorns of experience showing in the complicated movements of her frame.

While Gunstorm was out in the middle of the fray, Windjack and Lookout were picking off the Decepticons on the edges. Windjack was throwing grenades gleefully, but made sure she never threw one close to the maroon blur zipping around the battlefield. Lookout was using her favorite long-range weapon, an Energon rifle, to take out Decepticons on the other side of the clearing.

:…[Are you doing good down there?]...: Oceania commed Gunstorm, concerned.

:…[I am fine, thank you for asking. I think the Cons are starting to retreat.]…: she replied without pausing in her movements.

:…[They are.]…: Lookout confirmed.

Before long, the Decepticons retreated, having lost too many to their liking. The field was littered with offlined frames, Energon seeping into the ground below them. With a shaky vent, Gunstorm walked back to the ship, avoiding the dead.

[Everyone alright?] She asked as she walked up to her team. Everyone nodded their helms, and she let out a relieved vent. [Please step away from the ship.]

Reaching up, she pressed a concealed button on the hull of the ship. The familiar clicking and clacking of a transformation taking place reached everyone's audials. The ship shrank, getting smaller and smaller until it was only a cube no bigger than two feet. Gunstorm picked up the cube and tucked it in her left hip subspace pocket. Pressing a finger near her audial, she activated her comlink.

:…Gunstorm to Ratchet, do you hear me?...:

:…Loud and clear, Gunny. What took you so long?...: Ratchet's voice came though clearly.

:…Ambushed, but was able to drive them off. We're ready for that Groundbridge…:

:… Sending Groundbridge now. See you in a few kliks…:

:… Alright, see ya in a bit…: A green-blue circle of light appeared in front of the group.

[Come on gang, let's go meet the others.] Gunstorm started for the Groundbridge. She walked slowly, allowing everyone else to walk in front of her. It was routine for Gunstorm to bring up the rear, which was considered out of line for her rank as Prime by some sticklers. She knew this, but still did it anyways for two main reasons: one, she felt that her team was more of a family than a team and two, she was the only one with wings senstive enough to detect a Spark Signature from well over 500 miles away.

**In the base**

"Do you know how many there are?" a young boy with glasses, who was standing on a raised platform, asked Ratchet.

"You'll see in a moment, Raf. They are coming through the Groundbridge now," the medic replied, sounding a bit excited. A green mech and a yellow-and-black mech were chatting with a blue femme off to the side. Another mech, mainly red in color with some blue, was standing in front of the monitors.

"I've never seen you so antsy before, Ratchet. What's gotten into ya?" a girl standing next to Raf looked at Ratchet with a raised eyebrow.

"Let's just say this Autobot is a very close friend of mine. Oh, here they come," Ratchet turned to look at the portal. The first to enter was a young silver-and-black femme who was clearly talking with someone beside her. Next was an older femme, mainly light blue and black in color. Ratchet stood there, a shocked expression on his faceplates. The silver femme saw him, and froze for a klik.

[RATCHET!] She trilled, running towards said mech and thowing her servos around him in a hug.

[Thank Primus you're alright, Camo.] He spoke softly, returning the hug, relieved to see Camouflage once again. After a cycle, they let go of each other. His optics landed on the second femme, and almost let out a choked sob.

[Oceania…] He managed to get out before pulling her into a protective embrace. Burying his faceplates into her shoulder, he was unable to hold back his tears. Not wanting anyone to hear him, he activated his comlink. :…[I thought you were gone, sweetspark.]…:

:…[It's okay… I'm here now, Ratch.]…: Oceania murmured, sending comfort and reassurance through her EM field that was currently tangled with Ratchet's.

The sounds of excited chatter announced the arrival of two more femmes. They came in at the same time, walking side by side. One was a sandy tan, and looked very intimidating due to her build. The other looked like the femme version of Wheeljack, except that the green and red were reversed.

[Hey Ratchet!] They said at the same time, grinning.

[Ah, Windjack and Lookout. How are you two?]

[We're fine. Trying to stay out of trouble, but it seems to find me instead.] Windjack, the Wheeljack look-a-like, replied. [Have you seen Wheelster lately?]

[I'm right here. Who asked for-] Wheeljack stopped when he saw his long-lost twin sister. [JACKSTER!]

[Hey bro, how have ya been? Still crushing Cons?] She hugged her brother.

[Pit yeah! This rock is crawling with them.]

[I already know, we got ambushed. Nothing we couldn't handle.]

[Good to know. Are you still a Wrecker?]

[Not anymore. I got tired of being in high-risk situations, so I joined this lot.]

[Ah. Well, I'm glad you're back sis.]

[So am I. Missed ya like crazy.]

A heavy thudding echoed through the base, catching the attention of everyone in the room. The last Autobot walked into the base, and stopped just in front of the Groundbridge. Several optics and eyes widened in shock at the sight before them.

The femme was very different from the others. Instead of the usual two stabilizing servos, she had the frame of a horse for her lower frame. She had white wings on her back but did not have the frame of a Seeker, indicating that she was a Triple Changer. She was mainly maroon in color with some white.

"Ratchet, it has been way too long since I last saw ya with my own optics," Gunstorm grinned at him, giving him a hug.

"Agreed," he hugged her back, careful of her wings, then letting her go and taking a step back. "You said that there were six altogether. Where's the sixth one?"

She did not say anything, but merely backed up a bit. In one swift motion, she launched her front end into the air, feeling her frame disintergrate. With a flip, she came free from the second frame. She landed on her pedes, the last few plates clicking into place. Looking over her shoulder, she saw that the horse had finished transforming as well. She turned to Ratchet and crossed her servos, a smirk on her faceplates.

"There's your answer," she stated smugly.

"Scrap, I just about forgot that you can combine with Bo," Ratchet grumbled to himself, shoulders shaking in silent laughter.

"You're not that old yet, are you?" she teased.

"Nope," he snorted. "Are you?"

"Lemme think… No." At this, almost everyone in the room burst out laughing.

"That was a good comeback, Gunny," Ratchet chuckled, wiping a few tears of laughter from his optics.

"Good to know I still am the master of comebacks," Gunstorm grinned. "I already know you and Wheelster over there, but not the rest."

[Hi! I'm Bumblebee.] The yellow-and-black mech buzzed excitedly.

"Bulkhead," the green mech said calmly.

"Arcee," the blue femme smiled softly.

"My designation is Optimus Prime," the red-and-blue mech rumbled. Gunstorm was surprised, but did not let it show on her faceplates; instead she nodded her helm respectfully.

"Alright, introduce yourselves and state your position," she told her team.

"I'll start!" Camouflage spoke brightly. "I'm Camouflage, and I'm the scout."

"My designation is Lookout, Weapons Specialist," Lookout stated calmly.

"I'm Windjack, and Mr. Hotshot over there is my twin brother. I was in the only femme Wrecker unit called 'Fearless Survivors' back on Cybertron, and now I am the mechanic for these yahoos," Windjack grinned.

"Oceania, and I'm the medic," Oceania said, shaking her helm in amusement from Windjack's statement.

"Robustspeed, but please call me Bo. I'm their guardian," Robustspeed spoke shyly.

"I guess that's pretty much everyone except for me. My designation… well, that's a complicated situation," Gunstorm rubbed the back of her neck, a habit she had picked up long ago.

"Aw, come on, it can't be that bad," Wheeljack scoffed slightly. Gunstorm gave an annoyed glance at him.

"Well…" she sighed. Regaining her composure, she looked at everyone. "My designation is Gunstorm Prime. I'm the leader."

The room was so quiet anyone could have heard a pin drop. Gunstorm wasn't sure how the others would react to the fact that there were two Primes now, and the silence wasn't helping ease her nerves.

"So are you and Optimus related at all?" the girl suddenly asked, breaking the silence.

"Miko!" Bulkhead groaned.

"It's alright, Bulkhead. I don't mind being asked questions, and I can understand why some may think that," Gunstorm replied, smiling. "As to answering your question, I am not even related to Optimus at all. My last name- Prime- is merely a title given to someone who is worthy of it. I was not always a Prime. I used to be a medic-in-training, and had a very good mentor. What is your name, young lady?"

"Miko. Who was your mentor?"

Gunstorm smirked and pointed at Ratchet. "Mr. Grumpy Britches over there. I still consider him my mentor even though I no longer am a medic-in-training."

"Even after _all_ those vorns, you still call me that?" Ratchet called to her from his position in front of the monitors, playfully glaring at Gunstorm.

"You know I won't stop teasing ya, Ratchet," She replied airly.

"Crazy femme."

"Me? Crazy?" She put her hand on her chest in fake shock and mock hurt. "I'm already beyond that, I'm already at the insane level. I am _merely_ descending further into insanity. Let me _enjoy_ my _descendation_ into complete and utter insanity."

Lookout and Windjack fell against each other with a loud clang, howling with laughter. Everyone else except for Gunstorm, Ratchet, and Optimus soon broke out into laughter. Gunstorm grinned at Ratchet, who was staring at her in slight confusion. Optimus watched the exchange between them, wondering what would happen.

"Actually…" Ratchet began. "You're already beyond insanity- you're at the Gunstorm level."

"Oh! So there's a level beyond insanity?" Gunstorm raised an optic ridge, crossing her servos.

"Yep. You're on a level of your own making."

Gunstorm stared at Ratchet for a klik before she almost doubled over with laughter. Optimus quickly covered his mouth, frame shaking with laughter.

"Ya won that round," Gunstorm said after her laughter had subsided. "Anyways… Is there anywhere on base where we could stay? If we need to share quarters, I'm good with that."

"Well, you will have to share quarters. We'll figure out the arrangements later."

"Sounds good. I'm going to go explore the base for a bit if ya don't mind," Gunstorm started to walk down one of the halls. Optimus watched her walk out of the room, debating on whether he should go with her or not. Ratchet noticed Optimus staring in the direction Gunstorm had gone, and chuckled softly.

"What do you find so amusing, old friend?" Optimus asked Ratchet, raising an optic ridge at him.

"Nothing… Just go with her," Ratchet replied, shooing Optimus out of the main room. Optimus took off in a light jog, looking for the maroon femme that had piqued his interest.

* * *

**OH! Is Optimus interested in Gunny? Ehehehe this is going to get interesting next chapter!**

**Comment, review, fave, do whatever y'all want!**

**Until next time, this is JML Ranch and Dodge transforming and rolling out!**


	4. Chapter 3

**JML Ranch:** Finally done with this chappie... *leans back in chair, stretching*  
**Dodge:** That's good, I suppose.  
**JML Ranch:** In a way... I would have finished it sooner if it wasn't for that monstrous pink dress...  
**Dodge:** But it was worth it, wasn't it? *grins at me*  
**JML Ranch:** Oh yes, it was _so_ worth it. *laughing*  
**Gunstorm:** Talking about Sentinel's fluffy dress?  
**Dodge:** Yep. *whispers to the readers* The picture is on JML Ranch's deviantArt, link to her page is in her bio.  
**Gunstorm:** That dress and Sentinel's expression is permanently stored in my memories under "Side Splitters". *bursts out laughing at the memory*  
**JML Ranch:** I'm not done with the Sentinel Pwnage Saga... I'm only getting started. *psychotic laughter*  
**Dodge:** *shakes helm at my antics* While JML Ranch is plotting Sentinel's embarrassment, here's Chapter 3. She doesn't own Transformers Prime, she only owns her OCs and the story plot. Warning is for language and mild violence.

* * *

[Cybertronian speech]  
"Normal speech"  
:...Comlink...:

* * *

Gunstorm was walking along the halls, exploring the base when she sensed someone approaching. Not recognizing the Spark Signature, she deployed her Energon blades and turned around, battlemask snapping into place automatically. She was about to make a move when she froze, realizing whom she had nearly attacked.

"Please don't walk up behind me. I've had so many Decepticons try to attack me from behind that every time I don't recognize someone, I automatically think it's an ambush," Gunstorm said as she put her weapons away and disengaged her battlemask.

"I apologize. I did not intend to alarm you," Optimus replied.

"It's alright. It just takes me a few orns to be able to recognize someone based on their Spark Signature alone."

"How are you able to sense Spark Signatures?" He asked curiously.

"My wings," She replied, moving them slightly. "They're very sensitive, even more than a Seeker's wings. Fortunately I am able to adjust the sensitivity so I am not distracted."

"I see. What did you do before you became a Prime?"

"I used to be a medic-in-training, and my mentor was Ratchet."

"Ratchet?" He looked at her in slight surprise. Ratchet had never mentioned anything to him about being a mentor for someone.

"Yes. I remember the first time I saw him throw a wrench at someone…"

**Flashbacks begin**

_ Gunstorm was moving around Ratchet's Medbay quietly, retrieving and putting things away for Ratchet and Oceania as they worked on patients. A sense of calmness settled in the room, a rare occurance for the trio._

_ [It's nice to have a change of pace for once,] Oceania sighed as she leaned against the counter, taking a brief break._

_ [Agreed. It has been busy lately,] Gunstorm replied as she placed a tool in its proper location. [Although I get the feeling that the moment won't last very long…]_

_ And she was right. An irate Ironhide stormed into the Medbay, dragging two mechs behind him- one was red, and the other was yellow._

_ [They got into another fight and I had to break it up,] Ironhide grumbled as he put both mechs onto two separate berths. He saw Gunstorm and looked at her in surprise. [Gunny? What are you doing here?]_

_ [I work here. Ratchet's been mentoring me,] She replied, grinning at the black mech._

_ [I would have never guessed you were a medic-in-training,] Ironhide shook his helm. [You're real good with that Ion Fusion cannon of yours; I haven't seen you miss a target yet.]_

_ Gunstorm was about to answer Ironhide when she heard Ratchet start going on a rant about something, and looked over to where he was working on the yellow mech. Curious, she watched the commotion unfold in front of her. It was clear that Ratchet was lecturing the red mech about something-she didn't know what. She saw Ratchet reach into his subspace and pull something out._

_ A flash of silver flew through the air towards the other side of the room, and a loud CLANG echoed through the air followed by a yelp. Gunstorm saw the silver object, and realized that it was a wrench._

_ [Did Ratchet just throw a wrench at the red mech…?] She asked Ironhide, turning to face him._

_ [Yep. Don't get him too mad, otherwise he'll lob a wrench at your helm,] Ironhide nodded, walking out of the Medbay. Gunstorm made a mental note to make sure to always stay on Ratchet's good side._

**End of Flashback**

"Ever since that day, I have never gotten whacked in the helm by one of Ratchet's wrenches and I intend on keeping it that way for good," Gunstorm chuckled, shaking her helm slightly.

"I have found that although Ratchet's wrench-throwing may be... a bit unorthodoxal, it's very effective for keeping mechs and femmes alike out of trouble."

"Agreed."

Optimus and Gunstorm walked in comfortable silence for a few cycles, the sounds of their pedesteps echoing in the air. The silence was shattered when a loud siren went off, making both Primes freeze in place for a klik. Gunstorm was the first one of the two to recover from the intital shock, and started back towards the main room.

:…Bo, what's going on?...: Gunstorm commed her brother.

:… Decepticon signals have been detected, and they're moving…:

:… What are they after now?...:

:… I believe they are after Energon, but there's too many Decepticons for that to be possible. I fear that they are up to something…:

"Talk to me, what's going on?" Gunstorm barked out, taking command as she strode into the main room.

"Like Bo said earlier, there are Decepticons on the move," Oceania reported. "However, it looks like they are preparing for an ambushment."

"Ambushment? On what?" Gunstorm walked up to the screens for a better look.

"Gunny, they're setting up a trap. It's an old trick; I've seen it too many times. They send a lot of 'Cons to one location to draw us out, then leave to confuse us, giving Megatron the perfect opportunity to attack us," Lookout replied.

"Looks like it. They are going to expect Optimus to come out with at least two or three others," Gunstorm mused. "Windjack, Wheeljack, Bulkhead- y'all are now the Wreckers. Windjack, you're the leader of the unit now. Y'all do what Wreckers do best- causing havoc."

"Alright Gunny. I'll do my best to keep my bro here in line," Windjack nodded, grinning.

"Good. Lookout, you're the sniper. Find yourself a well-concealed location and pick 'em off."

"Yes ma'am," Lookout barked.

"Camo, Bumblebee, Arcee- y'all are going to be our outriders. Camo, use your cloaking abilites to your advantage. Keep me informed on what the Decepticons are doing."

"Okay!" Camo gave Gunstorm a thumbs-up.

"Ratchet, Oceania- get Medbay ready for any injuries, and be ready to get a lock on our coordinates for an emergency Groundbridge." They both just nodded at Gunstorm, acknowledging her orders. "Bo, you're with me. Bo and I will be the first ones out, then the Wreckers. Lookout and Camo will be right behind the Wreckers. Optimus, you're the last one out of the Groundbridge. Is everyone clear on who is doing what?"

Everyone nodded, some saying "yes". Gunstorm and Robustspeed combined quickly, not wasting any time. Gunstorm's familiar maroon color was replaced with a burnt orange color, making her nearly unrecognizable to anyone who did not know her very well. She had a habit of switching colors frequently in an attempt to conceal her identity while in her Centauri form. Once, she changed her colors to neon orange and yellow! (That particular color combination had elicted a… _rather interesting_ reaction from the Decepticons. Most of the force glitched when they saw her bright neon colors, leaving Gunstorm standing in the middle of the battlefield surrounded by unconscious Decepticons.) Taking a vent, Gunstorm walked towards the entrance of the Groundbridge and brought her Star Cannon online. She looked at everyone, silently asking 'are you ready?' with her body language. Everyone gave a nod. They were ready.

Gunstorm walked through the Groundbridge, ready for whatever was waiting on the other side.

**In the base after everyone went through the Groundbridge**

Ratchet stood in front of the Groundbridge controls, staring at the tunnel where the others had just gone through in shock. Oceania noticed this, and walked over to Ratchet.

"Ratchet? Are you alright?" Oceania asked gently, touching him on the shoulder.

"In all the time I have known Gunny, I have never seen her take command so swiftly and unequivocally before… I thought Optimus was going to question her orders, but he did not," Ratchet replied.

"That's just Gunny. She knows how to say something in a way that lets others know that she cares about them, yet at the same time she won't tolerate any rubbish from them. My guess is Optimus was thrown off by how she was able to gather information so efficently and formulate a battle plan within a cycle."

"I think you're right about Optimus being thrown off by Gunny's response to the alarm. Does she always ask everyone to tell her what's going on?"

"Yes," Oceania nodded. "She has always been big on communicating with each other, both on and off the battlefield. When she's on the battlefield, she may seem to be completely distracted by what's going on in front of her, but that's not the case. Everyone is usually on the main channel, and she devotes a few processors for listening to the chatter on the comms. She is capable of carrying a full converstation during a full-on assault without missing a single beat."

"She can do _what?_" Ratchet spluttered in surprise. "You mean Gunny can talk about anything on the comms while _she is in the middle of battle_?"

"Yep. That's why she is so good at improvising when things don't go as planned. She can scrap battle plans and come up with completely new ones on the fly."

"She's something else, that's for sure…" Ratchet shook his helm.

"Yes, she is something else all together," Oceania laughed, walking towards the Medbay to finish the preparations.

* * *

**Next chapter is going to have the battle sequence! I just wanted to change things up a bit there at the end by focusing on Oceania and Ratchet a bit.**

**Comment, fav, follow... ah, y'all know what to do anyways XD**

**Until next time, this is JML Ranch and Dodge transforming and rolling out!**


	5. Chapter 4

Howdy! Here's the battle I promised y'all!

* * *

:...Comlink...:  
[Cybertronian]  
**~Bond~**  
"Normal"  
_Thoughts_

* * *

Gunstorm was in a flat-out gallop, hooves thundering as she exited the Groundbridge. Both her Star Saber and Star Cannon were deployed, ready for anything. She raised her left servo, Star Cannon already fully charged, only to aim at nothing. Blinking in confusion, she skidded to a stop and looked around the empty clearing.

"I thought there were Cons here," Bulkhead said as he looked around.

"There are. I have a bad feeling about this…" Gunstorm replied, twitching her wings in worry. She could detect multiple Sparkbeats, and they seemed to be close. Too close for comfort, actually. "Move forward with the utmost caution. They could jump out at us at any moment."

The group walked forward slowly through the clearing. Gunstorm looked along the edge of the woods, trying to see any Decepticons that could be hiding. Arcee, Bumblebee, and Camouflage were moving through the woods silently, searching for any signs of the enemy. Lookout had found a rock outcropping near the clearing, and was currently setting up her rifle.

:…Outriders, report…: Gunstorm opened a comlink connection to everyone.

:…No signs of the Decepticons anywhere…: Camouflage replied.

:…Same here…: Arcee stated.

:…[I don't like this.]…: Bumblebee buzzed nervously.

:…I don't like it either, Bee. I've never seen the Cons do something like this before…: Gunstorm muttered agitatedly. :…Lookout, do you see anything?...:

:…Not a thing. I'm beginning to think they're somehow concealing themselves so we can't see them…: Lookout replied.

:…I think you're right. Perhaps some sort of hologram?...: Camouflage offered.

:…Good thinking, Camo. They can hide themselves from sight, but they sure can't hide their heat signatures. Switch to infrared vision…:

Gunstorm waited a moment for her vision to clear, having switched from normal to infrared. What she saw next made her Energon run cold.

"WHAT THE FRAG?!" she yelped, jumping sideways as she struck out at the space to her right. A Decepticon appeared, already offline. In her moment of alarm, Gunstorm had switched from her Star Cannon and Star Saber to her Energon blades, and then swung her right servo out at the Decepticon. Recovering from her shock, she charged forward right into the middle of the Decepticons.

Optimus had been startled by how close the Decepticons got to them, and was able to push back most of them when he noticed that Gunstorm wasn't nearby. Quickly scanning the area, he finally spotted her way out in the middle of the fighting. He was about to run towards her to help when he saw her spin like a top, taking out at least 10 or 20, if not more, Decepticons at one time. In his moment of distraction, he ended up surrounded by a large number of Decepticons. Cursing to himself in his processor, Optimus kicked a Vehicon in the chest.

Gunstorm had stopped spinning, having killed enough Vehicons that there was a wall of them surrounding her. She stood in the middle, back end in a big hole and front end in a deep track running in a small circle around the hole. With a small grunt of effort, she hauled herself up and out of the hole.

:...Gunny! Optimus' in trouble! He's completely surrounded, and starting to get overrun!...: Lookout hollered on the comlink.

:…Acknowledged…: Gunstorm replied. Rearing up, she looked around quickly. She dropped back down, trotted to a different spot, and turned so she was looking across the circle. With a powerful lunge, she charged across the clearing and soared into the air.

Optimus swung his blade, sending several Vehicons back. Before he could do anything else, 4 Vehicons jumped onto his back, nearly knocking him to the ground. As he struggled to get rid of them, more and more Vehicons piled on top of him, making it difficult to stay on his pedes. Right when he thought he was done for, he heard a heavy thud, and then the unmistakable roar of a jet engine. A few kliks later, he broke free, Vehicons flying every which way as he fought his way back onto his pedes.

"Are you alright?" A voice spoke from behind Optimus.

"Yes, thank you-" Turning to look at the speaker, he paused when he saw who it was. "Gunstorm?"

She nodded in reply, swinging her blade through the air and knocking several Vehicons back. Noticing that the group surrounding them was starting to get deeper, she realized that they would need Bo's help in keeping the numbers down.

**~ Bo, we're going to need to separate. You need to get to the outside and thin 'em out. That way Optimus and I do not spend all of our energy trying to fend off so many. ~ **She sent through the bond.

**~ Alright. ~ **Bo sent back to her.

The duo separated, not doing anything really fancy. The maroon femme flipped forward, transforming her lower frame back to normal midair. Bo leapt out of the center of the mob, transforming to his bipedal mode. He used his size and strength to his advantage, grabbing the nearest Vehicon by his neck armor and slamming him into the ground.

While Bo was busy thinning out the Vehicons on the edge, Gunstorm and Optimus were now standing back-to-back in the middle. They looked at each other over their shoulder and nodded. It was a silent agreement to protect each other's back. Waiting a few moments, they let the Vehicons get a little bit closer.

Then all hell broke loose.

Both Primes charged at the Vehicons, working together in perfect sync. Neither one had ever fought with the other, but the way they moved seemed to say otherwise. They just _clicked_ together; it was a beautiful and scary thing to watch. Beautiful, because the movements were graceful and fluid. Scary, because they were _lethal_ working together so well.

The number of Vehicons gradually started to decrease, but neither Prime ceased in their movements. Elsewhere on the field, Camo, Arcee, and Bumblebee were watching the spectacle with awe.

"You know, I have never seen anyone work together so well before," Arcee whispered to the other two.

[Same here.] Bumblebee agreed, optics glued to the fight.

"It's almost like they know exactly what the other is doing, but they have never fought together like this before," Camo commented. The three continued to watch, exchanging comments about the two Primes.

"HYAH!" Kicking a Vehicon, Gunstorm spun around, slashing the rest as she finished the last of them off. With a click and a shift of metal, she transformed her foreservos back to normal. Her armor was flared slightly to allow the air to pass through, cooling her systems. She looked over to where Optimus was, and saw that he had just finished off the last Vehicon.

"Are you alright?" Optimus asked, approaching Gunstorm.

"Yes," she was about to continue speaking when she heard a jet engine. Optics narrowing behind her visor, she looked in the direction of the noise. The too-familiar figure of Megatron flew towards them.

"Megatron…" Optimus growled, not happy that he had shown up. Unknowingly, for the first time ever, the Matrix of Leadership and Optimus' Spark were in agreement: protect Gunstorm Prime from Megatron at any cost. He did not realize that the Matrix he carried within his own frame was beginning to slowly let his true personality, Orion Pax, return after being suppressed for so long. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about the fact that the Matrix was in agreement with his own Spark, not when Megatron was around.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Megatron chuckled as he landed in front of the two Primes. He wasn't expecting to see the fiery femme standing next to Optimus Prime.

"What do you want, Megatron?" Stepping in front of Gunstorm slightly, Optimus glared at the mech he once considered his brother. For many vorns, he had tried to get Megatron to surrender peacefully without any success, and would continue to try.

"You and that femme. The two of you would make a fine addition to the Decepticon ranks," Megatron replied.

"Like _that_ would ever happen," Gunstorm spat angrily. "I would rather offline than let you get your filthy hands on me again."

_Again? That means he-_ Optimus didn't continue on that line of thought; he didn't want to let his emotions be in control of his own actions. Venting sharply, he barely was able to restrain himself from lunging at Megatron. Just barely. If he hadn't stopped himself, there was no telling what he would do to Megatron.

"Oh, so unwise. You would have made an interesting toy," Megatron smirked.

Before Optimus could say anything, he heard a growl that he would expect to be from a much larger mech out of the femme next to him. For the first time in many vorns, Optimus saw that Megatron actually did look a little bit frightened.

The frightened expression disappeared as quick as it had appeared, replaced with a scowl. Megatron let out a roar as he charged at Optimus and Gunstorm. Optimus had just begun to transform one of his servos into a gun by the time Gunstorm had her Star Cannon fully charged. She was on the warpath.

Sprinting across the battlefield, Gunstorm fired her cannon. As they got closer, she transformed her left foreservo back to normal while Megatron went for his blade. He swung at her, aiming to hit her anywhere. Seeing the swing, she ducked under the blow and threw an uppercut right to his chin. Megatron stumbled back a step, slightly disoriented by the punch. She took advantage of his disorientation by landing several blows, pushing him back a step each time.

Recovering from the daze, Megatron swung at her again. The blow landed, leaving a cut on her left hip. She blocked the next one, punching him on the body. They continued to exchange blows; the brutality of the fight gradually intensifying until it was an all-out brawl.

Optimus watched the bout, ready to jump in if needed. He had _never_ seen a fight this intense before, or a femme fight so unrelentingly. It was clear that Gunstorm was a formidable opponent, even more than himself.

Megatron was starting to falter, his movements not as fluid as in the beginning. Sensing this, Gunstorm maintained the same ferocity, refusing to slow down even though her Energon levels were becoming dangerously low. Gradually, the fight started to shift in Gunstorm's favor.

Realizing that he wouldn't survive the fight unless he retreated now, Megatron called an emergency Ground Bridge. He ducked the incoming blow, and darted through the Ground Bridge before he received any more injuries. Gunstorm decided not to go after him, knowing she had caused enough damage to keep him out of the war for a while.

"Perhaps that will serve as a reminder for him to not mess with me for a bit," Gunstorm muttered, looking at the spot where the Ground Bridge had appeared. Taking a deep intake of air, she regained her composure.

:…Let's go back to base. Ratchet, we need a Ground Bridge please…: She spoke on the comlink as everyone walked towards her.

:…Ground Bridge activated…: Ratchet replied. A Ground Bridge opened, and everyone walked through.

**In the Base**

Ratchet, Oceania and the kids waited for the others to appear from the Ground Bridge. Camo, Arcee, and Bumblebee were the first ones to come in followed by Windjack, Wheeljack, Bulkhead, and Lookout. Bo came in next, already back in his horse form. Finally, Optimus and Gunstorm emerged from the Ground Bridge.

"Gunny, Med Bay. Now," Oceania ordered. Gunstorm followed her without arguing, a small limp in her step.

"She's someone I wouldn't want to cross. Never seen a femme hand Megatron's aft to him before," Wheeljack commented.

"Did you see the way she fought him?" Arcee asked. "Wonder where she learned that from."

They continued to talk about the fight while Optimus listened. After a while, he slipped out of the room, heading to his quarters to rest.

* * *

**Y'all know what to do. :) Until next time, this is JML Ranch transforming and rolling out!**


	6. Chapter 5

**Stormy:** Howdy! SO sorry about the wait, I had a writer's block on this chapter for a while.  
**Dodge:** And she's been busy with college as well.  
**Stormy:** That too. Anyhoo, enjoy this chapter!

* * *

"Normal"

* * *

"So how much longer do you have to wait until you can transform?" Miko asked Gunstorm, leaning against the rail. It had been a week since the fight with Megatron. Gunstorm looked up from the data pad she had been reading.

"Hmm… Let's see…" Gunstorm leaned against the wall, thinking. "It has been a week, so I have two more weeks before I can start walking, and then another week before I'm cleared for duty." She had received an injury to her left hip that had taken Oceania a while to repair. Her systems needed time to integrate the new parts, and to allow that to happen, she had to keep her weight off the healing joint.

"That's a long time. Won't you get bored sitting around doing nothing?"

"Eh, I can find something to do easily enough." Shrugging, Gunstorm subspaced her data pad. She was currently sitting on a large metal box against the wall. Seeing that Miko seemed to want to ask her questions, she smiled at her. "You can ask me just about anything you want."

Miko was about to ask when they heard someone walking towards the main room. _Click-click,__** thud. **__Click-click,__** thud. **__Click-click,__** thud. **_Listening to the footsteps, Gunstorm could tell that someone had a strained hip cable. Shaking her helm, she let out a sigh.

"What's wrong?" Miko looked at her in curiosity.

"Sounds like someone hurt their hip. I can tell what they hurt just by listening to their footsteps." Looking in the direction of the footsteps, Gunstorm crossed her servos in front of her.

Optimus entered the room, limping slightly. Anyone could tell that he was trying to hide his injury. He made his way over to the monitor, not realizing that Gunstorm and Miko were in the room.

"You should go see Ratchet or Oceania about that hip of yours," Gunstorm spoke up.

Servos stilling, Optimus paused in his movements. He knew she was right. Turning slightly to look at her over his shoulder, he let out a soft vent. "I suppose I should get my hip looked at. How did you know about my hip?"

"Your footsteps. It's not too difficult for me to tell the difference between a strained hip and a collapsed ankle strut," she sat up, relieving a crick in her lower back.

"I see." Nodding, Optimus started towards the Med Bay. "I'll be back in a while."

The Med Bay doors slid open, and then shut behind Optimus. Shaking her helm, Gunstorm relaxed, leaning back against the wall again. She had a feeling that it would be a while before Optimus came back.

"Anyways… Miko, what were you going to ask me earlier?" She looked at the young teen.

"Oh, um…" Miko hummed, thinking about what her question was. "Ah, what other injures have you gotten?"

"A lot," Chuckling softly, Gunstorm uncrossed her servos. "I lost track a long time ago. I've gotten so many injures to my right shoulder that I no longer have full range of motion, messed up both knees and ankles to the point I have to wear braces all the time now, and I have shrapnel in my lower back that are right next to my backbone."

"Shrapnel? Can't you get it out?"

"The shrapnel is in a location that can't be operated on without the risk of me losing use of my legs. Some days my back hurts, other days it doesn't. It's a small price to pay, and besides, I would rather be able to stand on my own legs than spend the rest of my days in a wheelchair."

"Ohh, gotcha…" Miko nodded in understanding. "You also mentioned that you have to wear braces all the time. I don't see them…"

"That's because they're under my armor," Reaching down, Gunstorm pressed a concealed button on her armor. The armor surrounding her right lower stabilizing servo changed into several panels, moving away from the limb just enough for Gunstorm to slide it down slightly. There was a heavily reinforced hinge next to the knee joint, a sturdy metal bar attached to the hinge, making it look surprisingly similar to a brace made for humans. The metal bar was held in place by welds.

"Are you able to take them off?"

"I used to be able to, but I can't anymore because they're welded on for good. If I tried to stand on them without the braces, they would just collapse under my weight. That's how bad they are now," The armor slid back to its original position and closed up, hiding the brace from sight. "It's the same thing with my ankles."

"Wow… You've been through a lot," Miko walked down the stairs, and Bulkhead came into the room.

"Miko, it's time to go home," Bulkhead said as he transformed into his alt. mode. Arcee and Bumblebee drove up, Jack and Raf already with their respective Guardian.

"Aww…" Groaning, Miko walked over towards the stairs. "Well, guess I gotta go home now."

"Looks that way. I'll see you tomorrow, Miko," Gunstorm smiled at the young teen.

"Yeah... Well, I'll see ya tomorrow. Hope your hip feels better soon," Patting Gunstorm's left lower stabilizing servo as she walked by, Miko headed towards Bulkhead and got in. The three vehicles drove out of the base, leaving Gunstorm by herself in the main room.

Sighing to herself quietly, Gunstorm pulled out the data pad she had been reading earlier. She was about to unlock the screen when the Med Bay doors slid open. Hearing the doors open, Gunstorm looked up to see who it was.

Optimus poked his helm out, glancing around to see who was in the room. Noticing Gunstorm sitting on a large box, he sighed to himself.

"Where are the others?" Optimus asked the maroon femme, hoping that no one else was currently in the base.

"Arcee, Bee and Bulkhead are taking the kids home. The others are out on patrol, and won't be back for a while. Why do you ask?" Setting the data pad down in her lap, Gunstorm slightly tilted her helm to one side. She was curious as to why he had asked her where the others were.

"I..." He began, but stopped. Shaking his helm to himself slightly, he stepped out of the Med Bay on a set of crutches. He felt slightly relieved that Gunstorm was the only one, but at the same time, he felt embarrassed that someone saw him like this. "I don't want anyone to see me like this. I feel ridiculous having to use these things."

"Hey, I've got a set myself so welcome to the club," She gestured towards her own pair resting on the wall next to her as Optimus hobbled closer. "It's going to be a bit awkward for a few days, but that will go away pretty quickly."

"I suppose you're right…" He nodded his helm in agreement. "Do you mind if I sit here?"

"Not at all. Go ahead," Gunstorm shook her helm as she moved over on the box. Optimus sat down on the box carefully, making sure it would support both of them. The box groaned, but held up. He noticed that Gunstorm had gone back to her data pad, and was curious about what she was doing on it.

"What are you doing on your data pad?" He asked, his curiosity getting the better of himself.

"Reading reports. Only got one more report, then I got no more to read. I don't get that many, so I usually go through them every three orns."

"And what do most of the reports consist of?"

"Lookout and Windjack getting into fights," The femme Prime groaned, covering her faceplates with a hand in annoyance and frustration. "Those two seem to always be going at each other. I wonder how the Pit they haven't damaged the ship to the point it can't fly anymore."

"How bad do these… incidents become?"

Before Gunstorm could reply, a loud thud rattled the base, followed by shouting. Oceania stormed out of the Medbay, two wrenches in one hand and a medic kit in the other. Optimus raised an optic ridge as Oceania went down the hall leading to the training room.

"What we just heard was very mild compared to what normally happens," Gunstorm explained briefly. Two clangs was heard, followed by a torrent of angry clicking, whirring, and binary beeps. "Aaaand the Femme Hatchet strikes yet again."

"Who are you calling Hatchet?!" Ratchet poked his helm out of the Medbay, glaring at the two Primes.

"Oceania. I call her that all the time, and she doesn't mind it," Gunstorm shrugged casually, smirking slightly. "Don't worry – I won't call you by that, I know how much you don't like it."

"That's right, and don't you forget it!" Ratchet grumped as he disappeared into the Medbay.

Gunstorm and Optimus looked at each other, a slight grin on the former's faceplates and a neutral expression on the latter's. A few kliks later, Optimus couldn't contain his own amusement any longer and started to laugh, something he hadn't done in quite some time. Gunstorm covered her mouth with her hand in an attempt to stifle her own laughter, frame shaking with mirth and pounding the box lightly.

**In the Medbay**

Ratchet paused in his work, listening to the laughter coming from the other room. He hadn't heard Optimus laugh like that in a _very_ long time. Shaking his helm, he turned to look at the data pad that contained the Synth-En.

"Something tells me that Optimus' going to act more like himself before he became Prime with Gunny around," The medic mused to himself. "And just maybe, _maybe_ Gunny will finally be able to recover fully from her time with the Decepticons."

* * *

**AN: Gunstorm reveals more of her past, and what's this? Optimus Prime _laughing_? Looks like our serious leader is starting to relax a bit. :D**

**Oh my... what is Hatch - I mean Ratchet - talking about right at the end? Ehehehe, y'all will have to wait! All will be revealed in good time! 8D**

**R&amp;R, fave, rave, whatever y'all want to do. Until next time, this is Stormy and Dodge transforming and rolling out!**


	7. Chapter 6

**Stormy:** Holy slag... This is the longest chapter I have written for this story - just over 3,000 words! Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

It was relatively quiet for the next three weeks. All that really happened were some skirmishes while retrieving Energon. Since both Primes were unable to go out into the field, the responsibility of organizing missions and making sure everything more or less went according to plan fell to Arcee and Bo.

Optimus was slightly concerned that the team would start to fall into chaos, but that concern went away when he saw how well Bo was able to maintain order. He never imagined a mech with as gentle of a Spark as Bo could step up and fill in for a commander.

He was currently standing in front of the monitors, watching for any sign of activity. He was so preoccupied with his own thoughts that he didn't sense Gunstorm approaching.

"Everything alright?" Gunstorm asked, having noticed the slightly distracted expression on the mech's faceplates.

"Yes. I was just thinking about how effortlessly Bo has been able to lead the others in the last three and half orns."

"He's good at that kind of thing even if he says that he is not. That's why I am thinking about making him my SIC," she leaned against the wall, relaxing slightly.

"You don't have a SIC?"

"Not at the present. I haven't had a SIC at all actually. Never got around to picking someone for that position."

"Gunny? I need to take a look at your injury," Oceania called from the Medbay. Gunstorm walked over to the Medbay, the doors closing behind her.

**In the Medbay**

"Alright, sit down and I'll be right with you," Oceania was finishing up some work on a data pad.

Gunstorm sat down on the lone berth. She took a moment to look around the Medbay, noticing that it seemed more organized than the last time she was there.

"How's your hip feeling?" Oceania asked as she walked over.

"Eh, a little bit stiff but otherwise it doesn't bother me."

"That's expected," Running the scanner over the joint, the sky blue femme tapped a few keys on the screen. The results scrolled down the screen. "You're fine now. I'm clearing you for full duty, but take it easy until the stiffness goes away."

"Ep-ep-ep, I ain't done with you just yet," Oceania leveled a slight glare at the femme Prime, who was about to get up and leave. Gunstorm vented softly, settling back down. Crossing her servos, Oceania raised an optic ridge at Gunstorm. "Mind explaining to me why you've been checking out Optimus lately?"

"Uh – what?"

"Don't 'what' me, you heard me loud and clear."

"And why would you be asking me something like that?" Gunstorm huffed, trying to keep her cooling fans from kicking on. She could feel her faceplates heating up already, a sign she was blushing. Oceania didn't reply, but just looked at her, tapping her pede lightly.

"Ah ain't gonna tell ya! Why are ya pesterin' me about that?!" Gunstorm exclaimed, her accent stronger than usual.

"I was just curious, don't get your tailpipe in a twist," Oceania rolled her optics, turning to the counter behind her. "Besides, have you noticed anything different about Optimus lately?"

"Yep. He doesn't seem so wound up. Am I missin' anythin' else?"

"He's not keeping his emotions hidden so much. Got any ideas as to why?"

"I'm not sure," Gunstorm shrugged, "but I think it could have something to do with the Matrixes. I don't know a whole lot about the lore surrounding them, but I do know that they influence each other in some way."

"I see… You're free to go now."

"Thank you, Oceania," Gunstorm stood up, heading towards the doors.

**In the main room**

"Where are you headed to?" Optimus looked away from the monitors, causing the other Prime to pause momentarily.

"Outside. I've been in the base for a month straight, and that ain't good for me at all," She twitched her wings constantly, unable to keep them still.

"And _you_ need to get out too, Optimus," Ratchet scolded, walking over to the monitors. Optimus reluctantly stepped back from the monitors, not too happy about being chased off of his work. It had given him something to distract his processors from his restless frame, and now that the distraction was gone, he couldn't keep quite still.

"Hey Gunny? Can we go with you?" Jack asked as he walked down the stairs, Raf and Miko following behind. Their guardians were all out on patrol in locations that weren't safe enough for the kids to tag along.

"Sure," Gunstorm smiled at the kids. "Optimus, do you want to join us?"

"Perhaps another time," Optimus replied, trying not to fidget too much.

"Are you sure about that?" She tilted her helm to one side slightly. He shifted his weight around, barely rocking from side to side. Before he could speak, Gunstorm cut him off. "You're restless, don't try to deny it – I can see you fidgeting over there."

"Very well, I shall join then," Venting softly, Optimus transformed down into his alt mode. Gunstorm nodded, transforming into her alt mode as well.

"I'm going with Gunny!" Miko clambered into Gunstorm's cab, settling in the passenger seat.

"You can go with me if you two wish to," Optimus opened his doors for Jack and Raf.

"Sure," Raf climbed in first, followed by Jack. Both trucks started up their engines and drove out of the base.

"You're up to something, aren't you Ratchet?" The medic looked away from the monitors. Lookout had just walked into the room.

"Maybe, maybe not. Why do you say that?" Ratchet turned back to the monitors.

"I've noticed that Optimus seems different whenever Gunny shows up."

"And your point is…?"

"Don't push anything right now, it could mess things up. Let's see if they figure it out on their own," Lookout pulled out a cleaning cloth from subspace, transforming her left servo into an Energon full automatic machine gun. "After a while, if they haven't figured it out, we can meddle then."

"Meddle in what?" Bo asked, a confused expression on his faceplates as he walked in. He then realized what they were talking about.

"Oh… You're talking about Gunny and Optimus?" He smirked when Ratchet and Lookout nodded in affirmation. "Well then, I'll deal with Gunny and y'all can deal with Optimus."

"Sounds like a plan," Ratchet agreed, a sly smile on his faceplates. Lookout just beamed as she continued to clean her weapons.

**Outside of the Base**

The moment Gunstorm was out of the base she floored it. Her tires spun, leaving identical sets of twin black stripes on the pavement. A navy blue glow could be seen at the top of her exhaust pipes. Normally she didn't use Energon to fuel herself, but today was an exception.

"I don't think I have ever seen a semi truck move like that before," Jack chuckled as he watched the maroon truck get smaller and smaller.

"Me either," Raf agreed, laughing. Optimus' engine rumbled in amusement. His radio beeped, indicating that someone was calling him on the comlink, and he accepted the call.

_"__Hey, what's the matter? Can't keep up with me?"_ Gunstorm taunted playfully over the radio.

_"__Yea, are you slowing down Boss Bot?"_ Miko joined in.

"Oh, Optimus probably could outrun you guys," Jack crossed his arms with a smirk.

"Sorry Miko, but I'm siding with Jack on this one," Raf grinned.

_"__Whatever. Besides Gunny's driving circles around you guys, so I'm pretty sure Boss Bot can't keep up,"_ Miko scoffed.

"Miko, are you challenging me to keep up with Gunny?" Optimus questioned calmly.

_"__Ayup."_

Optimus thought for a moment. He knew that this would be a good outlet for his own energy, and it would be fun. It had been a long time since he had a race, and his opponent was evenly matched with himself.

"Challenge accepted."

Shifting to a lower gear, Optimus put the pedal to the metal. He also switched to Energon fuel, sending a jolt of pure energy through his systems. Primus, he couldn't remember the last time he had used Energon fuel! Pushing aside the electrifying sensation, he tore along the road, gaining on Gunstorm.

"Hey, Boss Bot's catching up to us!" Miko looked in the side view mirror. Gunstorm shifted to the highest gear she had, and pushed her engine nearly to its limit. She loved stretching her physical boundaries, whether it was speed, strength, stamina, or any combination of those three.

Before Optimus could get close to her, she sealed up all of the gaps in her transformation seams. She had a plan in mind, one that would – hopefully – throw Optimus for a loop.

"Hey Miko," Gunstorm spoke, getting the young girl's attention. "You up for some off-roading?"

"Heck yeah! Rock on!" Miko whooped in excitement.

"Alright, brace yourself! Here we goooooo!"

Gunstorm turned off the road abruptly, losing traction for a split second when her back tires hit the sand and then took off. Laughing with joy, she did several power slides and donuts in succession, creating an enormous dust cloud.

"I thought semis weren't made for off-roading…" Jack raised an eyebrow, watching Gunstorm driving around in the dirt.

"That may be true for non-sentient semi trucks, but not with the Autobots. The metal that makes up their bodies are far more durable than the metals here on Earth," Raf explained, feeling proud that he could put the knowledge Ratchet and Oceania had been teaching him to good use.

"Rafael made a very good point," Optimus rumbled appreciably, sealing up his transformation seams to keep the dust and sand out of his systems. "Prepare yourselves, I am going to pull off the road now."

Raising himself on his shocks slightly as to not damage his undercarriage, Optimus drove off the pavement. His tires spun in the sand momentarily but regained traction when he widened the gap between the treads. Seeing Gunstorm up ahead of him, Optimus put every bit of power he had to all of his tires.

"Wa-hoooooooooo!" Miko hollered as Gunstorm slid sideways. "Where did you learn to power slide like this!?"

"Oh, a _long_ time ago," Gunstorm swung her back end the other direction, entering yet another slide. "I learned this stuff when I was a human. We had a four-wheeler, and I would play in the snow on it whenever it snowed. It's _much_ easier to slide now that I _am_ the vehicle instead of _driving_."

"Wait, _you_ used to be a _human_?" Miko looked at the radio in surprise.

"I did," Gunstorm's voice came from next to her.

"Woah!" Miko jumped in alarm, staring at the woman sitting behind the wheel. "Who are you?"

"It's still me, just a different form," the woman smiled reassuringly. She wore a maroon western shirt with two white stripes running down each sleeve, dark grey jeans, a brown western hat, and a set of navy blue sunglasses. "This is what I used to look like before."

"Wow, that's awesome. Does anyone else know?"

"Only my team. I'll have to tell the others sooner or later," Gunstorm sighed, putting a hand on the steering wheel. "What the - !"

While Gunstorm and Miko were chatting, they had forgotten about Optimus. He pulled up next to Gunstorm, his normally shiny paint covered with a layer of dust. Rolling down the passenger side window, Jack leaned out slightly.

"Did you forget about us?" Jack teased. Gunstorm looked over to Miko and winked. She then rolled down her own window.

"Eh, nah. Yer a hard feller to forget, Jack," She grinned, resting her arm on the window sill.

"Wh-who the heck are you?!" Jack spluttered.

"You do not recognize me? The heat must be gettin' to ya," Shaking her head slightly, she frowned playfully.

"Gunny?" He looked at her curiously.

"That's my name, don't wear it out."

Jack burst out laughing, shaking his head. Raf could be heard giggling inside Optimus' cab. A deep rumbling voice joined in, making Gunstorm grin. She had successfully gotten Optimus to laugh.

"Is that a holoform?" Raf asked from next to Jack.

"Nope," Gunstorm replied. "It's actually one of my alts. I can be a human _and_ be in any of my other alts."

"That's… unusual," Optimus rumbled, a surprised tone in his voice.

"It is. Oh, there's the other road that leads to base. I think I've gotten all of the excess energy out of my systems now."

Both vehicles pulled onto the pavement carefully, still driving at high speeds. Gunstorm moved her arm and put the window back up, sending a ping to Optimus' comlink. He accepted the ping, opening the connection and making sure that Jack and Raf could join in on the conversation.

_"__Keep an eye out for anything on the roads, we may be unable to stop in time,"_ Gunstorm warned.

"Agreed. Jack, Raf, Miko - if a situation arises that we cannot avoid a collision in our alt modes, Gunny and I may be forced to transform," Optimus added.

_"__Ugh, I don't do very well with that… Bulk has transformed around me a couple of times, and my tummy couldn't handle it,"_ Miko groaned.

_"__It may help if you closed your eyes. I'll try to warn you in advance,"_ Gunstorm replied. Optimus chose to not reply, focusing on the road. He mentally smiled when he heard Jack and Miko start a light banter, joking good-naturedly about whether or not he was faster than Gunstorm.

**Somewhere outside of Jasper, Nevada**

"Man, it's boring out here! I wish there were some 'Cons for me to blow up with some sticky grenades…" Windjack complained as she drove in between her twin brother and Camo.

"I'm with you on that," Wheeljack laughed. The trio were out on patrol, driving along a road. They had found no trace of Decepticon activity, which was a good and bad thing. It was a good thing because that meant no one would get hurt, and a bad thing because the Decepticons could be planning something big.

"Sometimes you two are almost too alike," Camo chuckled, scanning the area behind her.

"That's because we're twins!" Both Lancias replied in unison. "JINX! DOUBLE JINK! TRIPLE JINX!"

"Hey, watch out!" Camo yelled, slamming on the brakes.

Two long, _loud_ horn blares alerted them to a maroon Peterbilt 359 and a mostly red Freightliner XL Classic thundering towards the same intersection they were approaching. Wheeljack turned sideways, trying to stop. His sister did the same, trying to not crash into him.

Gunstorm had seen the twins heading to the intersection, and she knew she couldn't stop in time. There was no way she could stop hard enough without hurting herself and Miko, so the only other option was to warn them with a long pull of her air horn. Optimus had quickly realized the situation and let a loud blast loose from his own horn, sounding more like a train horn than a semi truck horn.

"Scrap!" Gunstorm cursed when she saw Wheeljack slide into the intersection. Miko had closed her eyes long ago, not wanting to see the coming wreck.

"Miko, I have to transform! Draw yourself in as much as you can!" Gunstorm warned. Miko nodded, pulling her legs up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.

Both trucks came apart, metal plating starting to shift. The back split down the middle, parts shifting and rearranging themselves. As this was happening, two metal servos pushed the front of each truck up before moving to the middle. Before the back had finished its transformation, pedes landed on the ground. The stabilizing servos bent at the knee, cables coiling up like a spring.

Gunstorm leapt into the air, keeping her hands around Miko protectively and making sure to give Optimus space. While Optimus transformed fully to his bipedal mode, she stopped her transformation sequence mid-air, and started to reverse it. Most Cybertronians couldn't stop their transformation sequence very easily, and some had the ability to control which part of their frames transformed first. Gunstorm was one of the very few that could control every step of the process, and how fast she transformed.

By the time her pedes hit the ground on the other side of the intersection, Gunstorm's upper frame was almost finished transforming back into the front half of her vehicle alt mode. Tires quickly replaced the pedes, spinning already. Reaching out with her left servo, Gunstorm slowed down her upper half so she wouldn't land so hard on her front tires. Amazingly, she didn't leave a handprint in the concrete. As the plates clicked in their final place, she let out a little groan when she landed on her front tires. Reactivating her human form, she leaned back in the driver's seat.

"Are you alright, Miko?" she asked, all traces of her accent gone.

"Yeah, I think so…" Miko replied, letting go of her legs and opening her eyes.

"Good," she let out a sigh of relief. "Is everyone alright, Optimus?"

_"__Yes,"_ Optimus replied, sounding relieved himself. _"And yourself?"_

"We're good over here," Miko answered.

"That was a very close call," Gunstorm said, still on edge from the near accident. She had a feeling that she wouldn't be able to recharge at all later on.

_"__I agree. Let's just return to base and try to calm down from that,"_ Jack agreed. _"However, it was pretty awesome to experience someone transforming around me like that."_

_"__Yeah, it was neat!"_ Raf exclaimed. _"I'm curious about something though. I noticed that Gunstorm didn't transform all the way like Optimus did. Why is that?"_

"I have complete control over every step of my transformation sequence. Very few Cybertronians can stop their own as easily, or control how fast they transform," Gunstorm explained.

_"__She has one of the fastest transformation sequences I have ever seen,"_ Optimus started to slow down, turning on his engine brake. _"Not even I can transform as quickly as she can."_

"Can you show us how fast you can transform?" Miko asked excitedly.

"Let's get back to base, then I can show y'all. Deal?" Gunstorm turned on her engine brake as well, starting to slow down to a safe speed.

"Deal."

_"__Sure, that would be neat to see,"_ Raf added. They continued on towards the base, slowing down until they were at the speed limit.

* * *

**AN: I had a lot of fun writing the race between Optimus and Gunny! Apologies if Optimus seemed slightly OOC, I tried my best.**

**R&amp;R! Reviews would be greatly appreciated! :)**

**Until next time, this is Stormy transforming and rolling out!**


End file.
